Diet For Diabetics

If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you are not alone to jump on the bandwagon. There are millions sticking it out with it, with more being diagnosed all the time. Diabetes is a lifestyle disease affecting people of all age groups. One is said to be diabetic when the sugar content in his/her blood is abnormally high or abnormally low due to the inability of the pancreas to sufficiently produce the insulin hormone. If the functioning of the pancreas goes awry, it results in diabetes and other health complications. However, diabetes can largely be prevented and controlled by food. There is an adage that goes “you are what you eat”. Many diabetics get confused about what they need to eat in order to keep their blood sugar levels under control. The key to a diabetes diet is to exercise more control on your health and cravings. Taking into account what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat is important when planning a diet to tackle diabetes. If you want to know more, go through the information below.

Tips On Diet For Diabetics

Firstly, the obvious ones – say no to sugar. Immediately cut off sugar from your tea, coffee and milk and say no fruits like chikoo and mango for these are very high in sugar. Avoid packaged juices and increase your intake of papaya.
An essential part of a diabetic diet is to include a variety of food items every day. Ideally, it should be the right mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
You must eat food at fixed hours without skipping meals.
Your diet must witness an increased intake of fiber in the form of raw fruits, vegetables and whole cereals. You can eat whole wheat bread, porridge and oats as they contain soluble fibers – the cornerstone of controlling diabetes, cholesterol and obesity.
Avoid roasted peanuts and excess drinking of tea and coffee as they act as diuretics thus decreasing the nutrient absorption in the body.
Include fresh vegetables and salads in every meal.
You can use a judicious mix of poly-unsaturated oils like safflower and corn oil and mono-unsaturated oils like olive oil and rice bran oil while cooking.
Limit the amounts of fats and sweets you consume each day. Avoid high intakes of butter and oils as high fat concentrations in the food decreases the insulin action on the cells. Instead of frying foods, you can bake, boil, poach, sauté, steam or microwave them.
Increase your intake of water as water helps flush the toxins off your system.
Cut down on all artificial foods like fizzy drinks, ready to eat – packed or canned – foods and beverages, and sweets; they provide only empty calories. Staying away from such foods helps improve the insulin functioning.
You need to cut down on your intake of salt also because diabetes medications tend to hamper sodium channels and hence trouble the body. Read carefully the labels on the food items you buy. For instance, soy sauce and brine contain a lot of sodium and must be avoided.
Include egg whites – only – regularly in your diet.
White meat like chicken and fish are good to include in diets for diabetics.
Take more of dry beans and peas.
Include fat free milk and yoghurt as a part of your diet.
If you are on insulin, then make sure that you have three proper meals with light snacks in between.
Make use of garlic in your daily cooking. It serves a two-fold advantage of decreasing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar. It is also rich in potassium, zinc, sulfur and manganese so it replaces these minerals that are lost in the urine of diabetics.
You must limit the use of condiments such as ketchup, mustard and salad dressings as they are high in salt and sugar.
Oatmeal makes for an ideal diabetic diet for breakfast as it is known to reduce cholesterol.
Do not forget to include prodigious amounts of sprouts in your diet as they are a storehouse of essential proteins.

Hope you found the aforementioned tips on diet for diabetics useful. Remember, the bottom line for a diabetic diet is to eat in moderation, stick to regular mealtimes and include a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Health & Fitness'